Fear of Flying and Diazepam

Mayflower Medical Centre has taken the decision to no longer prescribe sedatives for fear of flying. This policy decision has been made by the GP partners and is followed by all prescribing clinicians here at the practice.

There are many reasons for this that focus on safety and best practice:

  • Medication in the class of benzodiazepines (for example, diazepam), are sedatives. This means that they can make you feel sleepy and affect you concentration. In the unlikely event of an in-flight emergency, this could also reduce your ability to follow instructions and could have serious consequences for yourself and your fellow passengers and the flight crew.
  • Sedative drugs can make you sleep. However, this is a non ‘REM’ (natural) sleep. As well as being less restful than a natural sleep, it can prevent your body from moving as much as it would normally. This can result in an increased risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) – these are blood clots that form in your legs and spread to the lungs. These can be very dangerous and in some instances, life-threatening.
  • Sedatives can sometimes have unexpected side effects . In a few cases, they can cause disinhibition or agitation. This can affect your safety on the flight and in some cases causes disciplinary action by the airlines, and even result in them reporting you to the police.
  • Prescribing guidance that clinicians follow, advises that benzodiazepines should not be prescribed for phobias. The clinicians at Mayflower Medical Centre want to practice in the safest, most appropriate way for our patients. We would also be taking a significant professional risk by going against this guidance.
  • Diazepam is illegal in many countries. In some circumstances this can mean that arriving overseas with this drug in your possession could result in drug charges being made against you.
  • Diazepam stays in your system for several days. An outcome of this could be positive drugs test results, whether taken for work or otherwise, at a later date.
  • With demand in primary care outstripping capacity, the team at Mayflower Medical Centre focuses on NHS work and uses our resources for patients that need core clinical care.

We appreciate that fear of flying is a genuine phobia that many people suffer from.

An effective and safe treatment for this is a Fear of Flying course. Below are some that are currently offered, although many are available:

You may also be able to contact high street pharmacies and discuss with them if you feel it is necessary for you to take something, as they may be able to provide travel service medication.